


Whumptober Collection

by Noteventhat (Facialteeth)



Series: Halloween Fics [6]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Angst, Blood and Gore, Captivity, Dark Magic, Fic Collection, Gen, Gunshot Wounds, Kidnapping, M/M, Murder, Torture Mentioned, Whumptober 2019
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-11-09 09:13:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20851001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Facialteeth/pseuds/Noteventhat
Summary: 1. Shaky Hands (Magnus Bane Centric, Dark Magic).2. Explosion (Jace & Alec, Demon Hunting).3. Delirium (Ragnor on Magnus, Held Captive).4. Human Shield (Simon/Raphael, Criminal AU).5. Gunpoint (Magnus/Alec, Criminal AU).6. Dragged Away (Magnus/Alec, Kidnapped).7. Isolation (Jace/Meliorn, Death).





	1. Shaky Hands: Magnus Bane, Dark Magic.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus gets carried away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt bad posting this as a story on its own because it's so short but I also want to post the drabbles I manage to write for Whumptober all together somewhere. So... Here's this! I don't quite like this format but at least I'm posting it somehow.

Magnus had learned a lot about dark magic in his lifetime. He’d seen it’s destruction first hand before he’d even been old enough to realize what it was. He’d seen the earth shake and tremble in the wake of it. He’d seen his father tear people apart and he’d been excited to help. He’d been _eager_ even when his hands shook with the power but he’d also learned something else about dark magic, when he’d gotten older. 

It takes a part of you when you use it. It leaches something right out of your soul and puts it into the world without you even knowing. 

Every time you use it, it gets easier and easier to use it again because a fraction of that rational part of you is gone. It was a slippery slope. It was an exponential equation and once you passed a certain threshold, it was impossible to go back. 

At a certain point, too much of you had been lost to ever go back again. 

Magnus had always been careful when using dark magic because he knew just what was at stake but there were times when he had to use it. When other people’s lives were on the line, when the world hung in the balance: How could he not use it? How could he make that choice to let people die when he knew he had the power to stop it? 

He was too good of a person to do that. It was ironic, almost. All he wanted to do was help people and yet, he slowly destroyed any good in him in the process and he didn’t even notice. He’d put himself in water and let it boil around him. 

He didn’t wake up one morning and realize what he’d done. He didn’t feel any profound shift in him. He just found himself questioning it suddenly one day. Why hadn’t he wanted to use this? What had been bad about it? It was so easy and so perfectly there. So plentiful. So rewarding. 

At a certain point, he didn’t even hesitate anymore. It would be stupid not to use this magic. It was powerful. It was commanding. It came to him without a second thought and with the dark hues of his own magic blinding his eyes, he realized his hands didn’t even shake anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think I'm doing whumptober right but if you squint, Magnus hurt himself so.


	2. Explosion: Jace & Alec, Demon Hunting.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jace and Alec are called to fight a demon. The trick is, they can't use their weapons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Major Character Death, Gore/Blood (Demon and Human), Injuries and Graphic Depictions of, Angst. 
> 
> As I normally do because MCD is rather unspecific, if you want to see who dies before you decide to read jump down to the endnotes.

They knew that there was a gas leak. When they entered the building, they could smell it. The demon must have broken the pipes, Jace had said.  _ Be careful _ , Alec had murmured before they’d crept further into the building. 

A gas leak meant no runes. It meant no seraph blades. The energy could ignite the air around them in a second. Normally, that would have been a big deal but thankfully, it was just a Shax Demon. They could handle it no matter what weapons they had and Alec had found a crowbar outside. Jace picked up a broken, sharp-looking table leg just on the inside of the building. 

The mission was almost fun. It felt like a training mission they’d done when they were kids. No weapons: What do you do? How do you adapt? It was fun without any real reason for concern. It was just a Shax Demon. They could have taken care of it in their sleep. They both probably had at some point, when they’d been trained on how to kill them every day for a year. 

_ Bad eyesight _ , he remembered.  _ Poor hearing, attack from behind if possible, attack from the front if you want to show off, don’t fuck up or you’ll be made fun of for the rest of the year.  _

Alec remembered one kid in their class that had tried to show off, fallen and gotten impaled by one of its claws. He’d been fine but no one had ever let it go. He came back for two more classes and then never came back again. Alec didn’t blame him. He remembered being thankful that it wasn’t him. 

They walked relatively quietly through the house, ducking under the ceiling that was caving in to walk into the next room. It looked like it had been a living room once but there was no trace of any joy that had happened there. 

The living room was empty, just like the kitchen and the hallway had been. Moments before, the demon had jumped out at them, hissing and screeching but now, everything was dead silent. It was never a good sign when demons who shouldn’t have known better went quiet. They were animals. They acted off instinct and nothing more. So, what exactly had made this one retreat in the face of danger? Jace looked over at him and neither of them needed to say it. They both knew exactly what that meant. Someone else was here or had been here, leading this demon.

Jace’s eyes scanned the empty room one more time before he nodded across the room at a door Alec had missed. There was debris scattered around it. A beam that looked as if it had come from the ceiling was blocking the view of the door but Alec noticed, as he was sure Jace did as well, that it didn’t block the actual door at all. He also knew that the door had to lead to the basement.

The demon had to have slipped down there but Alec didn’t know why. He also didn’t understand how the demon would have opened the door and closed it again but it was the only thing that made sense. No windows were broken and there was no other way out except the way they came.

“Why is it always a basement?” Jace grumbled as he started to walk forward. 

Alec followed. That too, he thought. Why the hell was it always a basement?

They crept down the stairs as silently as they could but when they reached the bottom, they were surprised to see the room was completely empty. Jace looked around and then turned back to look at Alec, raising his hands slightly as if in disbelief. “There’s nothing fucking h-“ Jace’s voice was cut off by the demon suddenly burst from a crevasse under the stairs that they had both failed to see. If Alec had been asked later, he’d almost bet it hadn’t even been there before. 

He didn’t even have second to think about it though. He gripped the crowbar tight in his hands and swung forward. He wasn’t as good with hand to hand weapons as he was with his bow but that didn’t mean he didn’t know how to hit hard. Alec cracked the makeshift weapon against the demon's head, hearing the sound of the creature's exoskeleton crack. 

It turned toward him infuriated and darted forward with its long claws snapping and reaching for him. He took a step back before planting his feet and swinging again, knocking one of the creatures claws right off. 

Behind the demon, Jace finally decided to help. Alec heard the snap and following gush of ichor as Jace stabbed the leg of the table into the demon’s lower neck. Jace pulled the piece of wood back out of the demon, splattering ichor all over himself as it came free. 

The demon turned towards Jace furious. Ichor was gushing from its body and Alec knew that when Jace shoved the wood deep into the creature’s head, it would be over with. He almost saw it happen in his mind before it did. His body relaxed a little bit. 

He thought about what they’d do after the demon was dead. He was a planner, after all. With the immediate danger out of the way, there was still something really odd about everything that had happened here today. Someone else had been here if they weren’t still. Someone had called this demon here. 

For a moment, Alec almost felt like the whole thing had been a setup. The demon had darted out, hissing and then retreating like it had been leading them. It had disappeared down the stairs, somehow managing to close the door all on its own. It had hidden in the basement to make them walk all the way down. Now that he thought of it, how had the demon even gotten down those stairs? They were old and narrow. Alec couldn’t imagine a Shax Demon managing to fit down them, let alone climb down without tumbling. They really weren’t smart creatures. 

Alec didn’t have much longer to follow the thought because Jace didn’t deliver the killing blow to the creature’s head. Instead, he tripped. He backed up, readying the weapon in his hand to swing it forward when his feet caught on a board that had been laying on the ground. He’d been grinning a moment before but as he fell backward, there was a look of astonishment on his face. 

The demon didn’t wait for Jace to catch himself. It was on him in a second and Alec hardly had time to react, even with all his shadowhunter reflexes. The demon drove it’s claw all the way through Jace’s chest in one swift motion.

Alec ran forward. His mind was screaming but he didn’t have time to panic. Jace didn’t have time for him to lose his shit and let him get eaten by a level one demon. Alec pulled the crowbar back and in a split-second decision, he swung it forward and let it fly through the air. It sunk with a startling amount of accuracy into the wound he’d made on the demon’s head earlier and when Alec reached the creature a second later, he gripped the end of the crowbar that was sticking out and ripped it free, letting the brain and guts fly across the room and all over him. 

The creature collapsed dead on the spot and crumbled in on itself a moment later, until the only evidence that it had been there at all was the gore it had left all over the room. Alec didn’t even notice. He was at Jace’s side in a second. 

The basement was dark but Alec could see enough to know that it was bad. Jace’s chest was gaping and even though it had only been a few seconds since it had happened, Alec could hear his parabatai struggling to breathe. 

Jace’s hand found his. It was warm and it was covered in blood and ichor. Jace clung to him like his life depended on it. 

Alec didn’t have time to think about his options. He couldn’t move Jace like this. He could paralyze him. He’d bleed out before they got upstairs anyway. If he lifted him, his guts would spill out of his chest. 

Alec pulled his seraph blade out of his back pocket and he pressed it into Jace’s skin. He didn’t have time to think about it. He didn’t have time to think about the fact that he could kill them both. He didn’t have time to think about the fact that even if he didn’t, his parabatai probably wouldn’t survive. 

Maybe, nothing would happen. Maybe, the gas leak wasn’t that bad. Maybe, they’d be fine. 

Alec didn’t have time to think about anything but for a brief moment, he thought about Magnus at home. It was his day off. It was supposed to be their day off together but Alec had been called to go on this mission with Jace, before they’d known that it was just a Shax Demon. Magnus had told him he was making dinner. When Alec got back, they were going to eat on the balcony together and they were going to go inside and enjoy the rest of the night. 

_ You’re turning your phone off,  _ Magnus had told him.  _ I don’t care if hell falls upon this city, you’re staying home for the rest of the night. _

Alec hoped Magnus knew that he loved him. He didn’t have time to think much but he thought that and then he carved the seraph blade into Jace’s skin and watched as the rune lit up.  _ They’d be okay _ , Alec thought.  _ They’d be okay, they’d be okay, they’d- _

The last thing Alec ever saw was the dark basement lighting in fire. It reminded him of Magnus, kind of. It reminded him of his eyes. 

Or maybe, he’d just wanted to think about something nice right before it was over. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alec and Jace both do. 
> 
> .
> 
> .
> 
> .
> 
> I think this one is far more whumptober like and I actually really like it for something I thought of and wrote in one day.


	3. Delirium: Ragnor on Magnus, Held Captive.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ragnor thinks about Magnus and exactly how he feels about his affliction to the Shadowhunter. He also thinks about how he doesn't want to die in a cage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Very general discussions of captivity, injuries, hallucination, dehydration, starvation and broken bones.
> 
> This is a cross between TSC canon (Spoiler Alert: Ragnor is presumed dead but really held captive somewhere) and Shadowhunters. I just really really want him to be alive guys. This is also less graphic and gory than I could have made it but I just can't hurt Ragnor.

Ragnor always knew that Magnus wasn’t real, after he’d stopped seeing him. He wasn’t past the point where he’d stopped being able to tell what was real and what wasn’t but… He was at the point where sometimes, he slipped. When Magnus was there, sometimes Ragnor thought that he really was sitting there talking to him. Sometimes he couldn’t tell it wasn’t real until Magnus was gone and Ragnor was still left there alone.

That was one thing he was sure about. Magnus wouldn’t leave him here. Whenever he disappeared, Ragnor knew that it hadn’t been real. That didn’t make it any less jarring though. That didn’t make it any less real when it was happening. That didn’t make the disappointment he felt any easier to handle.

Sometimes Ragnor thought that Magnus was the only thing that kept him sane in here. He was starving, dehydrated and beaten for days on end before being left alone for weeks but Magnus was always there. He'd talked to him. He'd reminded him to use whatever strength he had left to set his bones into place. He'd remind him not to waste the little water he was given. Sometimes, he was just there to tell Ragnor was a sore sight he was. If Magnus hadn't been there, even if it was just this fake version of him that his mind made, Ragnor didn't think he'd have survived this long. How ironic was that? How many times had he told Magnus he’d rather he’d never met him?

Of course, he never meant it. They both knew that. 

Even when Magnus had gotten them arrested. Even when Magnus had gotten every Clave member out hunting for them. Even when Magnus had destroyed the potion he’d been working on for months. Even when Magnus had thrown up on him. Even here, sitting in a cage, covered in wounds that he was sure would have gotten infected and killed him had he been mundane, Ragnor had never regretted any of it.

The truth was that Magnus was one of the best people that Ragnor had ever met. He was rash, self-sacrificing and sometimes outright stupid but at the bottom of it all, he had a heart of gold. He wanted to do so much good that he lost sight of what was possible or fair in the meantime. 

He wanted to do good so fiercely that he’d be willing to break something in him in the process and a lot of people took advantage of that. Magnus was over four hundred years old now. He could handle himself far more than a lot of people but something always clenched in Ragnor’s chest when he thought of Magnus out there alone. 

He was too trusting. He was too willing to help the wrong people and now, Ragnor had heard he’d gotten married to the Shadowhunter. He wanted to believe that the Shadowhunter loved him back but unlike Magnus, Ragnor was not blinded by his emotions. He wanted Magnus to have something happy and true so badly that it hurt but that didn’t mean he believed it. 

Ragnor was older than Magnus. Ragnor had lived through an era that Magnus had not, one that made the Shadowhunters killing them for sport look good in comparison. It didn’t matter how long had passed. They did not live in a world where a Shadowhunter would ever love Magnus Bane.

Sometimes Ragnor tried to tell Magnus this when he found him sitting outside of the bars that kept him locked away. Magnus never listened to him and that was the only moment that Ragnor wondered if perhaps Magnus had really been there after all. 

Ragnor felt like he should be out there protecting Magnus but in truth, when had Magnus ever really listened to him? When had he ever heeded his warning? He’d told Magnus not to get involved with the Shadowhunters and now, he was in a cage dying because Magnus hadn’t listened to him. 

No, Ragnor didn’t need to be there to tell Magnus what to do. It wouldn’t make a difference anyway. Magnus was going to do what he felt was right no matter what anyone else said. Ragnor didn’t mind not bearing witness to that. He just needed to be there to catch him after it all came crumbling down around him. 

Ragnor hoped he made it in time. He hoped that he would not die here without Magnus knowing how stupid he thought he was. If that was too much to ask, Ragnor just hoped the Shadowhunter would let him down easily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll most likely be skipping this for the next two days (Friday and Saturday) but I'll catch up when I can.


	4. Human Shield: Saphael, Criminal AU.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Simon had always expected that there would be a day that Raphael took a bullet for him. It came hand in hand with Raphael’s line of work but he had never considered that he might do the same someday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Guns, Injuries, MCD (I'd add more details in the endnotes but I bet you can all guess who), people being shot, angst.

Simon had always expected that there would be a day that Raphael took a bullet for him. It came hand in hand with Raphael’s line of work. How many times had Raphael been shot since he’d known him? How many times had Simon been caught in the middle of something he shouldn’t have been and had a gun pointed at his head?

Far too many was the answer for both. Simon had always been fine. Raphael had made sure of it and none of those times had the gun gone off but Simon knew that if it did, Raphael would have thrown himself in the line of fire to protect him. 

He had never considered that he might do the same someday. If he’d been asked beforehand, he wouldn’t have known if he could do it but when it actually happened, there had been no thinking. There had been no rational decision behind it. 

He’d just done it. 

They had been standing in the lobby of the hotel just about to leave when someone Simon didn’t know pulled a gun. Lily was out that day. Elliott was in the kitchen somewhere, having no clue what was going on in the lobby. 

Simon’s breath had stopped in his chest. He was terrified. He always was when stuff like this happened. Guns had always made him nervous and seeing one pulled on his boyfriend more than a handful of times hadn’t helped. Even then though, Simon had known that Raphael would take care of it. He always did. He always took care of the bad guys. He always got everyone out. 

Sometimes, he took a bullet for it but he was always okay. 

Simon remembered watching Raphael’s eyes tighten. He had a gun on his hip but he didn’t move to grab it. He probably knew that he’d be shot before he could try. He looked like he wanted to glance over to Simon to make sure he was okay but he didn’t. 

Simon was right there but Raphael didn’t want to draw attention to him. Simon took in a slow breath and he tried to stay still. He tried to blend into the expensive gold wallpaper behind him. He’d always been so good at blending in. 

It worked too. Whoever the man with the gun was, he didn’t glance over to him twice. Maybe he didn’t know he was Raphael’s boyfriend. That title always made him a target, as much as Raphael hated it.

Simon had the urge to reach forward and grab Raphael’s hand, just so he could feel him. He knew that was the worst thing he could do right now but he wanted to anyway. He always felt like that when stuff like this happened. Raphael was right there but they were very far away from each other. 

What if Simon looked too much and drew attention to himself? What if he messed up and got someone kill? What if something happened to Raphael and Simon had to watch, unable to do anything? 

It was something Simon dreamed about a lot. He had terrible nightmares where Raphael was shot just feet away from him and he had to watch him bleed out in his arms. Unlike most people though, that wasn't an unrealistic fear for Simon. His boyfriend was one of the most notorious criminals in New York. 

The statistics were not in their favor. 

Standing there, Simon imagined every nightmare he’d ever had about it and as their conversation grew tenser, Simon felt his heart sinking. He couldn’t even process what they were arguing about- territories? Someone had insulted someone last week? A snitch? Simon wasn’t sure but he knew just by watching that whatever it was they were talking about, they were growing no closer to a happy solution. 

The next part happened very fast. Simon saw the man’s hand tense on the gun. Raphael saw it too. He moved to grab the gun on his hip but Simon could see that Raphael wasn’t going to be able to grab it in time. His boyfriend was quick. He wasn’t that quick though. 

For a moment, everything slowed down. Simon felt everything in the room melt away, except for the gun and Raphael right in front of it. Simon heard Elliott come into the room somewhere behind him. He yelled something. Simon was sure if he’d been a minute earlier, everything would have turned out differently. He hadn’t though. He wasn’t going to be able to do anything. 

Simon would have liked to say that he thought about it and he decided to sacrifice himself. He would have liked to say that he decided to save his boyfriend’s life. 

It hadn’t been a decision though. Simon hadn’t thought about the consequences of what he was doing. He just moved. He leapt in front of Raphael and when the bullet sunk into his head, he didn’t even feel it. 

Raphael always told him that it doesn’t really hurt to get shot until after. When it happens, you’re so full of adrenaline and shock that you don’t feel anything at all. Simon had never really believed him but as he hit the ground, he realized that he was right. 

He didn’t feel a thing. He hoped Raphael had been wrong about the second part though. He hoped that whatever happened now, it wouldn’t hurt after because Simon really wasn’t the best with pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ignore me catching up from my weekend off.


	5. Gunpoint: Malec, Criminal AU.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus held the gun evenly in his hands. It was clear he’d held a gun before. He’d held many guns actually. Growing up under Asmodeus, he’d practically had a gun in his hand the moment he was born. This time, it was a little harder though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Serious angst, Guns, Bodies, Death, Murder, Someone getting shot, Bodies being burned, Mentioned death of a child, Major character death (jump to the endnotes to see who and how it happens- if not be warned it's more detailed than the previous days with this tag). 
> 
> Please don't ignore these on this one. This is the darkest yet. You're warned.

Magnus held the gun evenly in his hands. His eyes were tight and his grip was firm. It was clear he’d held a gun before. He’d held many guns before actually. Growing up under Asmodeus, he’d practically had a gun in his hand the moment he was born.

Magnus wasn’t scared to use it either. He’d shot so many people he’d lost count. This time, it was a little harder though. Magnus wasn’t scared but… He couldn’t deny that he was more hesitant this time than any other.

See, this kill would be different. The man knelt on his knees before Magnus was different. His dark black hair was hanging around his head in messy tangles. His cheek was slowly bruising. There were flakes of blood around his face and small, wet tears welling in his eyes. 

He used to be a fighter or something akin to it. He’d put up a good fight but now, he was kneeling there staring up at Magnus. He looked nothing but confused and betrayed. Any fight in him was gone.

Magnus didn’t blame him. If he’d been in his shoes, he would feel the exact same way. 

He’d met his soulmate a few days earlier. They’d met in a coffee shop of all the places. Just an average coffee shop. It was a sweet beginning really, if things had been different. His soulmate was beautiful. He was stunning. He was someone Magnus easily could have fallen in love with. 

They could have made it work too, even considering who Magnus was. They could have worked it out somehow. Magnus wanted them to work it out but then his soulmate had said the thing that had changed everything. 

He’d said his name. He’d reached his hand out, smiling so sweetly, so happily and he’d said, “I’m Alec. Alec Lightwood.” 

Alec was a cute name. Magnus knew his name hadn’t really been Alec though. His name was Alexander and Magnus only knew that because Alexander Lightwood was the son of Maryse and Robert Lightwood. 

That had been the real issue. It had nothing to do with Alec himself. It had nothing to do with the fact that he was his soulmate. It hadn’t really had anything to do with Magnus either. It had been both of their parents. It has been a feud between Asmodeus and the Lightwoods: One that had spilled so much blood. One that was about to spill more. 

Asmodeus had killed Alec’s little brother a few years ago if Magnus remembered right. 

Magnus cocked the gun. 

Tears were spilling down Alec’s face openly now. His chest was hiccuping in soft sobs that he wasn’t even trying to contain. Magnus had been about to do it. He didn’t see how it would help anyone to drag this whole incident out. 

Alec spoke before he could pull the trigger. His voice came out weak and broken. “Why?” He asked. 

Magnus couldn’t answer for a long moment. It occurred to him suddenly that Alec didn’t even know what this was about. He had no clue who Magnus was. He probably had no clue who his father was. Maybe he didn’t even know who his parents really were.

Yet, he was here. He’d been dragged out of his apartment and thrown into a car. He’d been tied up and brought here to this dirty warehouse, where he’d been shoved onto his knees. He’d probably been so confused and then Magnus had walked into the room and that hadn’t clarified anything. 

He must be so scared. 

Magnus took a deep breath. He looked up and met the eyes of one of the guards who was standing in the doorway and then he knelt down to the ground in front of Alec, lowering the gun in his hands. 

Magnus met his soulmate’s eyes and he smiled. “It’s okay.” He murmured. 

Alec sniffled. He reminded Magnus of a child for a moment. He was staring, captivated and scared all at one: having no clue what was going to happen. He was a little hopeful too like maybe this was all about to be over and things would be okay. 

Half of that was true at least. It was about to be over. 

Magnus reached out with one hand and lifted Alec’s tear-soaked chin. He leaned forward and gently pressed his lips against the other man’s. The first time you kissed your soulmate was supposed to be magical. It was supposed to be perfect.

Magnus wished it had been but the gun was cold and heavy in his hand and Alec’s lips tasted like salt. Magnus didn’t hesitate for a moment longer. He lifted the gun and with his lips still pressed against Alec’s, he pulled the trigger. 

A few moments later, Magnus stood up. He was covered in Alec’s blood almost everywhere except his lips, which were clean and warm. They still tasted like Alec, when he dipped his tongue out to lick at them unconsciously. 

“Burn him,” Magnus said, staring down at the slumped form on the floor. They were supposed to burn the bodies. It was better to leave no evidence behind, especially when you dealt with as many bodies as they did. 

For a moment, Magnus wanted to tell them to pick him up instead. He wanted to bury him. He wanted to send him back to his family. He wanted to do something other than stand there and watch his soulmate burn. 

Then, he remembered his father's words from a few days ago. Now wasn’t the time to get soft. Magnus watched them burn Alec even though he didn’t really want to watch and then he turned around and walked outside. 

He could feel the soul mark burning on his arm as he walked out into the rain. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Magnus shoots Alec in the head. I know, yikes.


	6. Dragged Away: Malec, Kidnapped.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They hadn't taken Magnus in the dark where no one could see. They'd taken him in the middle of the day, while he was on his way to work and still, somehow, no one had seen anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Kidnapping, Sensory Deprivation, Unconsensual Bondage, Implied Torture, Blood, Chloroform, Past Sexual Assault Mentioned, General Hopelessness.

They’d hadn’t taken him under the cover of darkness. They hadn’t grabbed him and ripped him away in a dark alley where no one would see. They hadn’t conspired and grabbed him at the perfect moment when he’d have no chance of getting away.

They’d simply taken him. Magnus wasn’t even sure if they’d planned any of it or if they’d just seen him walking there and thought ‘why not’? 

He’d been on his way to work. He had the taste of Alec’s lips still on his, where he’d kissed him goodbye just a few minutes before. Normally, Magnus drove to work. He was a lawyer. He didn’t have time to spare for walking. 

That day had been different. It had been a nice day. The air was warm and he’d felt the urge to run through the streets like a kid. He wanted to get his hands dirty playing. None of that was possible. He had to be at work by nine-thirty the lastest. He had a lot to do. He settled on walking that morning. 

If he had decided to drive, things would have been a lot different. He would have actually made it to work. He would have gone inside and done his job before leaving probably a little late that night. He’d have gone home to his beautiful boyfriend and ate the wonderful dinner he’d made, having no idea how close he’d come to having his life completely derailed. 

He’d only been down the street. He was maybe a quarter of the way to work. He’d been looking down at his phone, like a typical millennial. Magnus would have liked to say he screamed when they grabbed him. He would have liked to say he punched them and pushed his way free. He had the muscle and the training to do so. 

He hadn’t though. He hadn’t done anything. The van had pulled up, stereotypically accurate and Magnus had hardly even noticed it until the two men got out of the car and stepped into the walkway Magnus was on.

Magnus had stopped. He’d looked up, a half apologetic smile on his face. He hadn’t done anything wrong but that’s what you did when you crossed paths with a stranger. He remembered one of the men not moving out of the way like he expected. He just stood there and smiled. It had freaked Magnus out, honestly. 

He looked at Magnus like he wanted to tear him apart. He looked at Magnus like he wanted to rip into him. Magnus’ steps had faulted for a long moment and then he kept moving forward, going to walk around the men, his eyes falling back to his phone even though his attention hadn’t really been on his phone at all. He’d just needed something to look at, to pretend he was busy as he walked by. 

Maybe, if he hadn’t looked down it would have been different. It didn’t matter though. It was no use thinking about what could have been. His eyes had been down and one of the men had grabbed him by the waist, locking his arms at his sides, making his phone falling from his hands as he dropped it in shock. 

Magnus had gone limp. He hadn’t understood what was happening. He’d been assaulted before and for a moment, Magnus thought that that was what was happening. He thought someone was grabbing him, someone who had seen the makeup on his face and thought he was something easy to grab and fuck with.

He’d thought they’d let him go in a minute. He thought they’d accomplish what they came for, touching him, scaring him and then they’d get in their car and leave. That hadn’t happened though.

They moved so quickly that Magnus couldn’t even react. It was the middle of the day and one of them held him tight as the other came around and pressed a damp cloth into Magnus’ face. Chloroform, he’d thought. He had never smelled it before but it had to be. 

He struggled then but his vision went dark so quickly, quicker than he thought it would and as he lost consciousness, he felt like he was drowning. He felt distantly his body hitting cold metal. The back of the van, he’d realize later. A slam as the door was shut. 

He didn’t remember anything else until he woke up later, tied up tight with no chance of getting away. He thought about that day a lot. Would he have acted differently, if he’d known their intentions? Would he have fought more, if he knew that he’d be kept in the basement for the next four years? Would he have found a way to get free, if he knew that it would be the only chance he have to do so? 

Of course, he would have tried. He hadn’t understood what would follow when they’d attacked him but even if he could, Magnus had to remind himself that things may have gone exactly the same way. There were two of them and one of him. They’d had weapons, he hadn’t. They had chloroform. Magnus was strong and fierce but he had to admit the odds were against him.

Magnus tried not to dwell on what he could have done differently. It was pointless. He also tried not to disappear into himself and think of things that were not real, as hard as it was not to do so when he had literally nothing else to do for hours when he was left in the dark, unable to move, unable to hear or see anything almost all day.

You went crazy like that if you let your mind stray too far from reality. Magnus let himself think about one thing though. He thought about Alec. He wondered how he was doing, what he was doing now. 

He knew realistically that Alec would not be doing good without him. It wasn’t selfish to think that. It was the truth. That was the one thing Magnus let himself lie about in his head. Sometimes, he let himself drift and he let himself dream. He imagined Alec happy. He imagined him home right now, in their kitchen, cooking that dish Magnus loved with the dark noodles he couldn’t remember the name of.

He imagined him training with Jace on the floor of the gym. He imagined him finally getting around to reading that series he’d had for years and loving it. He imagined him meeting someone sometimes, as sad at that thought made him. He imagined him moving on, missing Magnus, wondering about him, loving him but being happy still, with someone else. 

Alec deserved happiness and Magnus let himself lie and imagine him happy somewhere because it was a lot easier than knowing that he was in hell and Alec was too, out there somewhere without him.

The flickering, swaying light in the basement came on. It hurt Magnus’ eyes every time. It was so bright after not seeing anything all day, maybe longer than that. It felt longer this time. Maybe, they’d left him down there for two days or maybe his perception of time was slipping. 

He walked down the stairs until Magnus could see him. He looked the same as the day he’d grabbed Magnus on the sidewalk. He looked clean. He wasn’t wasting away like Magnus was. He wasn’t bruised, scarred and bloodied. He looked normal. 

He smiled when he saw Magnus, uncomfortable on the hard concrete ground, pinned to the wall by the metal collar that was choking him. His smile widened into a grin when Magnus twitch, squirming uselessly. 

“I brought you something.” He said finally. Magnus thought he meant food. They did have to feed him every once in a while. He had no food with him though and when Magnus heard the muffled commotion from the top of the stairs, something in his heart sank. 

It was like he knew a moment before it happened. It was like he could sense it. 

The other one came down the stairs, dragging someone with him. His hair was a mess around his head. His cheek was bruised and his nose was bloody like he’d fought. His eyes were wide and panicked. They had a cloth gagging him and his hands were tied behind his back. 

They threw Alec down the last few stairs. He hit the ground hard, unable to try and catch himself. His head was bleeding against the ground and his eyes were locked on Magnus. 

Magnus had dreamed about seeing Alec again, the rare times he’d managed to sleep through his uncomfort but he had never wanted it to happen like this. He wondered how they’d gotten him. He wondered if someone saw this time. He wondered if anyone would find them now like they’d failed when Magnus had gone missing. 

One of his captors smiled and placed his boot on the back of Alec’s neck. “We’re going to have a lot of fun.” He told them. 

Magnus hoped for weeks that someone would find them. The only good thing about Alec being there was that he wasn’t alone anymore and that maybe, someone would help this time.

Eventually, Magnus gave up on that. No one knew where they were. No one was coming to save them. They’d vanished and years later, they’d probably still be a mystery to everyone around them. They’d hold a funeral service eventually when they were presumed dead and all hope was given up.

Magnus knew even then they’d still be here, locked in the basement. He was starting to accept that they’d never see anything else again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, I'm very behind. Expect a few more updates today.


	7. Isolation: Jace/Meliorn, Death.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meliorn told him once, a bit of teasing in his tone, a bit of something sharp that was not teasing at all, that his people were like a plague. Jace had laughed at the time but he'd been right and it wasn't funny at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Death, MCD (details in the endnotes), Bodies, Blood, Suicidal Thoughts, Implied Suicidal Intent.

Meliorn had never wanted to get involved with the Shadowhunters. He’d made that clear many times. They were dangerous, stupid and ignorant. Meliorn told him once, a bit of teasing in his tone, a bit of something sharp that was not teasing at all, that his people were like a plague. 

They came in and even those who were wise enough to see the danger coming found themselves infected. Jace had laughed when he’d said it. Meliorn had laughed too. He wasn’t exactly joking but it was funny and Meliorn hadn’t said it expecting Jace to do anything about it. He’d just said it and what could Jace do but laugh?

The thing was, it wasn’t funny at all. It was true but Jace should have expected it to be. Faeries couldn’t lie and even if they could, Jace shouldn’t have expected anything Meliorn had to say about his people to be false. Meliorn was hundreds of years old. He’d been around before the first of the Shadowhunters were born into the world and he told Jace he’d be around after.

Then again, he’d been wrong about one thing. 

Jace knew realistically that faeries could die. He knew that they could be killed. They could be murdered. His people had murdered many of them. Really though, to Jace faeries were untouchable. He’d seen vampires and werewolves die. He’d killed some himself. He’d seen warlocks hurt badly, Magnus’ friend, Magnus himself. 

Warlocks were so powerful but even they could be shot down. Jace had never seen a faerie die though, not once. He’d never seen one get hurt. He’d never seen one look winded or scared. Faeries were ancient. Faeries were ethereal and they died on their plane of existence a lot (or so Jace heard) but for one to die here in their mortal realm at the hands of anything but a god- It seemed unthinkable. 

Jace knew it happened. He knew it could but for it to happen in such a mundane way, so quickly? So simply? For his life to be flickered out, not in a catastrophe fight, not in an earth-shattering scenario, just in the back alley of a street by a demon they both failed to see? 

It felt wrong. It felt so horribly wrong. 

Jace knew everyone around him could die at any moment but if they were going to die- if  _ Meliorn _ was going to die- he didn’t want it to be like that. He didn’t want it to be so meaningless, so useless. 

Even Clary, she was gone but her absence had meant something. She’d done so much for all of them and she’d paid the price for it but Meliorn? What had his death really meant? What had he died for? To walk with Jace downtown because Jace couldn’t sleep? 

Jace remembered in vivid detail kneeling in the alleyway, holding Meliorn’s lukewarm body in his arms. His blood was cold where it was smeared onto him. He expected it to look different somehow. He’d thought maybe it would be an off-color, maybe it would reflect differently in the light. 

It just looked like blood. There was nothing special about it. 

The demon that had snuck up on them and killed him, Jace hadn’t even gotten it. It had skittered away. Jace knew he should go after it. Meliorn was gone. He should go get the demon before anyone else got hurt. 

He didn’t move. He couldn’t. Meliorn was dead. Clary was gone.

Jace slipped into himself a little bit more. He pulled Meliorn’s now cold body into his arms and he hardly even felt it. 

Jace wanted to call someone but Alec and Magnus were in Idris. Izzy was busy all the time now, hardly even around. Jace realized he had no one to call, not really. He had these people but he couldn’t have them without being a bother. They had lives now and Jace, well part of his life was turning rigid in his arms: The other part had no clue who he was. 

Jace thought he should feel sad. He thought he should feel isolated and so alone. He thought he should feel enraged but Jace found himself feeling nothing. He felt like a block of ice, frozen solid. He felt like he had died too. 

_ I want to kill something or get killed _ , he’d thought to himself once when he and Meliorn had been new to each other still. He’d done a lot of killing. He’d gotten a lot of people killed. It seemed like he only had one option left, one thing he hadn’t tried yet. 

First though, Jace had to figure out what to do with Meliorn’s body and then, he’d have to figure out where he wanted to put his. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meliorn dies and Jace will too.  
.
> 
> .
> 
> .
> 
> The line at the end that I reference is from my first Meliorn/Jace fic [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20113189).


End file.
